Horror Recommendations 2016

October 4, 2016

Have you seen The Loved Ones? Australian horror film from 2009 that is online in full on YouTube (Paramount approved): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOnumfWyDQU
“A teenager hatches a disturbingly violent revenge plot when the boy she likes rejects her.” Not for the squeamish, but anchored by an amazing batshit crazy lead performance and a twisted story that I found to be delightfully disturbing.

Currently streaming on Netflix:
– Black Mirror Before we get into some movies, if you haven’t seen this Twilight Zone For The 21st Century, you need to get onto that shit pronto. Another batch of episodes are coming Oct. 21st, but until then catch up on some incredible sci-fi horror that is already coming to life.
– Hush Creepy little film about a deaf girl and a murderous stalker. While I felt the main girl made some TERRIBLE decisions throughout the story, the plot moves quickly, the kills are intense, and the two leads turn in great performances. Definitely worth your time for this straightforward, pulse-pounding thrill ride.
– Tucker & Dale vs. Evil Hilarious spin on the “murdering hillbillies” genre. Similar to “Shaun of the Dead” in tone, and manages to twist and turn what seems like a SNL sketch in very clever ways.
– V/H/S 1 & 2 While not my favorite of the latest entries in the found footage genre (that award goes to Grave Encounters), both of these horror anthologies have great moments scattered throughout some of the not so impressive stories. Worth it for the crazy Japanese murder cult sequence in V/H/S 2.
– Stitches Another horror comedy, this one taking a unique spin on the “psycho clown” genre. I seem to recall that some of the jokes fall flat, but overall I enjoyed this very over-the-top gory and punny ode to ridiculous slasher films.
– American Horror Story: Freak Show. While we’re talking about killer clowns, if you’ve got a bunch of time to kill this month, why not knock out what is arguably the best season of America’s favorite Fall show? Not every story pans out the way it should, but I’m gonna go on a limb and say a majority of the story lines explored in this particular season were insanely creepy and definitely pushed the boundaries of what’s allowed on network TV.
– Wes Craven’s New Nightmare Wes Craven and original Elm Street actress Heather Langenkamp play themselves in a film that takes place in the real world as they contemplate making another Freddy movie together, while Freddy stalks the cast and crew. From the Wiki, “While the canon Elm Street films are about dreams overlapping reality, this entry is about films overlapping reality.” Why don’t more people talk about this one? Ahead of it’s time perhaps…
– Would You Rather WATCH AT YOUR OWN RISK. I’m only putting this on here because it really fucked with me the first time I saw it. It is a terrible, terrible movie that I randomly happened upon while flipping channels and could not look away. Desperate people do desperately horrible things to each other in order to score some money from a sadistic aristocrat. I think this is a satire? It made me sick to my stomach.

Currently streaming on Amazon:
– The VVitch This is my favorite horror film of the year so far. A warning that there is a VERY disturbing scene early on, but what takes this film to the next level for me is atmosphere. It’s brilliantly directed, and by far the creepiest film I’ve seen in years. Loved every drawn out minute of this one.
– The Mist After Frank Darabont (Walking Dead) adapted The Shawshank Redemption to such success, Stephen King supposedly told Frank he could have the rights to any of his other properties to adapt. Darabont selected The Mist, which tells the story of a group of small town citizens locked in a supermarket during a paranormal event. For maximum effect, and this advice is to be taken very seriously, adjust the contrast on your TV so that it’s black and white. That’s how Darabont intended the film to be seen, and it really does take it to a whole other level when you watch it this way. Also of note: Darabont changed the ending, and Stephen King wishes he came up with it first.
– Carrie (OG) Screw the remake, the original film can never be topped. Another atmospheric masterpiece that I’m embarrassed to say I only saw for the first time about a year ago. This, and other creepy classics like Rosemary’s Baby are all over Amazon. For once, listen to your parent’s advice and watch how the masters from the 60s and 70s did it.

A final set of off-the-radar recommendations… but these you’ll have to find on your own.
– Grave Encounters As mentioned before, this is my favorite of the more recent Blair Witch knockoffs. A group of “Ghost Hunters” step into an insane asylum to record another episode of their show. Things… do not turn out well. This was recently on all the on demand platforms– not sure why it fell off, but keep your eyes peeled and this may be free again soon.
– The Final Girls One last horror comedy for ya… and a surprisingly good one at that. A girl and her friends get sucked into the very horror movie that made her mom famous. Featuring an all star lineup of your favorite “I know that guy” comedic talents, this one hits all the right notes and once again surprises throughout with clever plotting and big laughs.
– Evil Dead (2013) My final suggestion is the remake of Sam Raimi’s Bruce Campbell classic. Produced alongside the film’s original creators, this one takes the original conceit dead serious, while also very subtly nodding to it’s campy source material. This film is absolutely disgusting, and features a climactic showdown that took more days of shooting and more gallons of blood than the rest of the film combined.

And hey, a shameless plug. You made it this far, why not click any of the October archives on the right hand column of this page? My friends and I talked at length about our favorite horror movies every month of October for the six years I did this podcast. Listen for plenty of other suggestions, and Happy Halloween!